Lucy Nasby

Lucy Mae Nasby was born on December 6, 1948 in Morenci, Arizona to Tony Nasby Sr. and Jeanette Gustina Nasby. She is proceeded in death by her father and mother Tony and Jeanette Nasby. Maternal grandparents: Henry and Helen Goseyun Gustina. Paternal grandparents: Albert "Bert" and Golucia Lopez Nasby. Siblings: Steven Nasby, Eddie Nasby Sr., Raymond Nasby, Era Jane Nasby and Phyllis Nasby. She is survived by four siblings, Tina Bylas (Albert Bylas) of Peridot, Arizona; Violet King of San Carlos, Arizona; Tony Nasby Jr. (Sheila Nasby) of Bylas, Arizona and Van Nasby of Bylas, Arizona. She was residing in Bylas, Arizona at the time of her death. She resided with her niece, Helen Moses (Jason Moses Jr.) and her great-grandchildren; Jason, Mason, Lariyah Moses and Hillary Victor. Even though she never married and had children of her own, she claimed them as her own grandchildren and the kids called her Grandma. She also helped raised and claimed other girls as her sisters. Her other survivors included many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, extended families and friends. She attended Our Savior Lutheran School at Bylas, Arizona for a short time, then transferred to Fort Thomas Elementary in Fort Thomas, Arizona. She graduated in 1969. She would have graduated two years earlier but was detained due to missing too many school days. She even mentioned that at one time they put her in jail for missing school. Her plans after graduation was to go to Dallas, Texas through the Relocation Program to train or go to college for Nursing. The day she was to leave for Dallas, Texas, her mother passed away. This left her siblings with no one to care for them. She stayed and gave up nursing to care for them. She did not want her siblings sent off to different foster home. With the encouragement of her Aunt, the late Lottie Nozie, she stayed. She became a bead-maker which her Aunt, the late Nancy Gustina taught her. Her bead work was displayed at Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona and Masonian Art Gallery in New York City, New York. Through her bead work, she was able to support her siblings. She also taught her younger sisters to bead, which helped to pay bills. They mentioned that they couldn't play until they finish their beading. When the boys got older, Steven and Eddie helped her as well as the younger sister Violet. She worked for a short time as a dispatcher for the Sub-Station Police Department in Bylas, Arizona. She was also a seamstress. She made pillows and blankets. Her favorite pass time was doing puzzles and cross-word puzzles. In her younger days, the siblings remember her as always wearing curlers on top of her head. Lucy loved to travel and got to see many places. Places like, Clover, Payson, Tucson and even Disneyland in California. In California, Lucy didn't want to go near the ocean. She was afraid she might drown, she said. Once After Eddie and Violet came back from firefighting, they wanted to take her to Klondyke to pick acorns. Then it seemed like the whole family wanted to go so they all jumped in. They camped out two days in Klondyke. They were not ready to go home so they kept on going to Fort Grant, Wilcox, Sierra Vista, then to Nogales. In Nogales, they crossed the borderline into Mexico where Lucy and Albert got detained because they forgot to bring any identification. It had to take a phone call to Ned Anderson Sr., the Tribal Chairman to vouche for them that they are American citizens. In 1996, Lucy was diagnosed with breast cancer. With treatment, she did well for 15 years. Thereafter, she had a fall and the cancer returned. She started her treatments again, but her health started to deteriorate. Twenty (20) years ago, she quit drinking and started to attend church. Her relationship with the Lord grew and she encouraged all of her family to go back to church. Her favorite song was God's Not Dead. She told me once that she read her Bible daily and prayed every day. Her last encouragement to Helen was to have Lariyah dedicated to the Lord. When she prayed, she believed in anointing whatever or whomever with olive oil. To her, James 5:14, where it says, "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the Church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord", was what she strongly believed. Towards the end, dementia got the best of her, but never her faith. Her desire was to go to Jerusalem. In one of her dementia episodes, she told her family that Shaban (Violet) won a lottery and she is taking them to Jerusalem. On one of my visits with her, she told me that she either died or had a dream and saw Jesus. He told her it is not your time yet and all around her she heard the most beautiful music. While I was visiting with her, she was telling me she could still hear it. When I was about to leave, she repeated with me the sinner's prayer. Lucy, rest in Peace. Until we will meet again on the other side, Geraldine Poncho